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COUNSELLING SERVICE

Free of charge counselling service for migrants

Free of charge counseling service for migrants is one of NOMADA’s key activities. The scope of support that we provide responds to the needs most often reported to us by our clients and covers: legal advice on residency issues; support for people who have experienced bias motivated crimes; working with Romanian Roma community living in Wroclaw. Counseling is carried out both at the office and in the field – NOMADA experts assist migrants during visits to the offices, at the doctors, at the police or in court. We also act as language and cultural translators. We ensure full anonymity to our clients.

Office hours:

Monday 4.00 pm – 7.00 pm

Thursday 4.00 pm – 7.00 pm

You can make an appointment by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or by calling the phone number +71 307 03 35 during office hours.

COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT FOR MIGRANTS

A significant number of problems reported to us by migrants concern documentation of their stay in Poland. Procedures related to obtaining residence are complicated and usually last for a long time. In addition, legislation in this area changes frequently.

That is why we provide information. We help to fill in applications and when necessary, we assist migrants during their visits to the Provincial Office, Municipal Office or Civil Registry Office. Depending on the case, NOMADA experts support migrants during court hearings, at the Police or at the Border Guard. We also provide legal advice to persons who are in detention, who have acquired an obligation to return to their country of origin, as well as those seeking international protection in Poland.

To fully respond to the needs of our clients, we also offer support in issues related to employment and labor law, family law, social assistance, education and discrimination.

We want NOMADA to be a place where foreigners can find a solution regardless of the problem they are facing.

COUNTERACTING BIAS MOTIVATED VIOLENCE

Bias motivated crime (hate crime) is a category of crimes against persons or their property, the motive of which is the actual or alleged affiliation of an attacked person to a group distinguished by characteristic features, such as: skin color, language, nationality, ethnicity, religion or its lack, political views, gender and sexual identity etc. Such attacks (physical or verbal) result from xenophobic views and are prohibited by Polish law.

Counteracting such violence is an important aspect of NOMADA counseling service.

We want Wroclaw to be a safe place for everyone, regardless of the passport they have, who they love and which god they believe in.

Therefore, we educate about the rights of persons who have suffered bias motivated violence, provide legal advice, assist them when reporting to the police and the prosecutor’s office as well as during court hearings. We act as persons of trust and interpreters and we join the proceedings as representatives of social organization. We advocate and educate in order to raise public awareness on the problem of bias motivated violence, and we present the perspective of our clients.

SUPPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY OF ROMANIAN ROMA

Since 2010, we have been working with Roma migrants from Romania who live in Wrocław. You can read about our past actions and methods of work in the publications:

‘Romanian Roma community in Wrocław” (available in English), “Systemic Exclusion and Integration of the Romanian Roma in Poland”, “Romanian Roma in Poland. A Guide for Working with the Community”Available in the tab /PUBLICATIONS/.

After 8 years we have come to the point where the majority of persons from the community have valid documents and residency in Poland. This allows them to exercise their civil rights, such as access to medical care or social assistance, more fully. Children are enrolled in schools and although the education process does not always follow good practice in this area, every year more children join formal education.

Work with the Police, Municipal Guards and Border Guards translated into an increase in the safety of people from the community. Cooperation with family courts and probation officers has stopped the practice of taking children away from their families. Leaders, who are efficient in administrative procedures and support other people, have emerged from the community. The awareness of the Roma about the rights and duties arising from Polish law increased significantly. The great success of NOMADA is the establishment of cross-sectoral cooperation and good relations with some of Wrocław institutions – Civil Registry Office, social services, psychological-educational counselling centres , hospitals, probation officers, schools.

Thanks to advocacy, we managed to draw the attention of the majority of society and decision-makers to the situation of this community. In 2016, the Municipality of Wroclaw launched a housing project aimed at Romanian Roma, who then lived in an informal camp. In 2017, all families moved out of the barracks to training apartments and the camp was demolished. The project is implemented by House of Peace Foundation.

The biggest challenge that the community is facing now is entering the labor market. Stereotypical perception and prejudice toward Roma as well as lack of qualifications and difficulties in adapting to the labor market are the main problems. Support in entering the labor market is one of the elements of the project implemented by the House of Peace Foundation.

Currently, cooperation between NOMADA and the community focuses on supporting the education process of children.